Zeppo 6: Deus Ex Machina
by JA Baker
Summary: Xander find himself in a whole new kind of trouble when Cortana discovers a way to interact with the physical world, Faith has to decide how committed to staying in Sunnydale with Xander she is, and Glory arrives in town... BuffyHaloStargateWest Wing
1. Wheels within wheels

_Spoilers for Season 5 of Buffy_

**Zeppo 6: Deus Ex Machina  
****Part 1: Wheels within wheels**

"It's taken care of." Xander sat down slowly, allowing the bench to get used to his weight, "The General's going to have April taken to some R&D so the tech guys can figure out how Warren made her. The guy's twisted, but there's no denying he's gifted."

"I think I'll stick with twisted." Giles looked across the park to where Buffy sat on the swings with April.

The robot looked somewhat at peace as her power cells ran down, finally giving up as her eyes closed. Wordlessly, Xander walked across to his friend and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"I want you to promise me that they won't experiment on her." Buffy looked up, "She doesn't disserve to be used like that again."

"I'll make sure she's treated ok." Xander looked at his watch, "I have to go pick up Faith: she had her weekly session with the therapist today."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"What do you want me to say?" Faith looked uncomfortable sitting in the middle of the physiatrist's office, "It was just another mission; I've been on dozens since joining the Initiative."

"But this time you killed people." Dr Spencer, the on-staff psychiatrist looked at her over the top of his glasses, "How does that make you feel?"

"I don't feel any different; they were aliens, not humans."

"To be technical, they were members of a sub-species of humanity."

"I'd rather think of them as aliens."

"And why is that?"

"Because thinking of them as humans takes me to a place I don't want to be. You can rationalise what happened all you want, but they are still dead because of me. If I chose to think of them as aliens, what's the problem?"

"You could begin to disassociate your actions and their consequences again: 'only aliens' could easy become 'only enemy soldiers', and then 'only human'. You, abilities make you more than a match for most people, including your team mates. My job is to make sure that you maintain the correct outlook on your work."

"So I don't go crazy and start killing people again?"

"Yes."

"I think Xander fixed that the day he pointed a gun in my face and pulled the trigger."

"Mr Harris' ham-fisted attempts at psychotherapy aside, I am happy with the progress you're making."

"No more happy pills?"

"I don't see the need to put you back on medication. You have my pager number, and if anything happens, I want you to call me immediately."

"Five-by-five, Doc: five-by-five."

"One last question before you go: how are the other; and I shudder to say this, Scooby's treating you?"

"Buffy ignores me. Willow and Tara have their own thing going on. I think Giles likes having me back: it kind of makes up for what he sees as his failings as a Watcher the first time round. Dawn lives in equal parts awe and fear of me."

"So you wouldn't call them friends?"

"B, Willow, Tara and Dawn accept me because I'm involved with Xander, and they don't want to alienate him. Giles is trying to become a father figure, when he should know by now that I don't want one. I get on with the other agents, but I don't see them enough to consider them proper friends. The only real friends I have are Xander and Cortana."

"Interesting..."

"Is that a problem?"

"Not really: the General asked me to keep an eye on the group dynamics. By all accounts there are those who would like to take over some control of their operations here. I think seeing what you are capable of has them looking to Miss Summers as a possible recruit, one way or anther."

"Let me guess: Kinsey. Is this the Generals way of telling me to tell Buffy to keep and eye open without actually telling me?"

"How would I know what's going on in the General's mind: I'm just a psychiatrist."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Warren stood looking around what remained of his lab: the military guys had taken a lot, but not everything. They hadn't found the hard copy of the blueprints or his backup hard drives with the basic operating system. He could, if he wanted, start again: rebuild April, make her look different enough so that the Slayer and her friends wouldn't notice.

But General Johnson had been adamant: the job offer was only good if he kept his head down and finished collage. And the job sounded very interesting in deed...

The phone rang, almost making Warren jump: it was probably Andrew or Jonathan, wanting to know if he wanted to get together for a game of D & D or something.

"Hello?" He lifted the receiver, half interested.

"_Hello, Mr Meers._" A strange, female voice replied, "_I have a job offer for you._"

"What, you trying to pouch me from under the Generals nose? Who are you; Microsoft?"

"_No, Mr Meers, I am not Microsoft. And this is a one-time only, custom job for which you will be paid one million dollars, wired into an account of your choice._"

"Is this some kind of sick joke? Who put you up to this?"

"_Turn on your laptop and open your internet connection._" The line went dead.

More confused that anything, Warren did as he was instructed, and turned on his laptop, dialling up his net connection. Nothing happened for a moment, and then the screen went suddenly blank.

"Hey!" he looked at the screen.

"_There is no need to be worried; your computer is quite safe_." The same voice returned, and a face began to form on the screen, "_I'd prefer it if you had a web cam and I could see you, but this will have to do_."

"Holy shit!" Warren collapsed back into his chair, "This has got to be a dream..."

"_You've met my, associates, so you know that this is no dream._"

"What do you want from me?"

"_A body: it will require some minor alterations to your basic design, but I can arrange for any extra equipment or supplies you need. I also require absolute discretion on your part until the job is complete._"

"You don't want the others to know? Why?"

"_Let's just say I want it to be a surprise..._"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Xander stood leaning against the wall outside the medical block, half watching the two MP's who were following him. Although his pass gave him almost unrestricted access to the base, he was still technically a civilian, and as such had to be escorted everywhere.

He didn't like spending too much time around the base: high school and the whole Dr Walsh thing had left him with a rather healthy distrust of authority. He knew that he'd be either on the run or in prison if not for the President and General Johnson, but he considered them the exception to the rule.

Faith breezed through the double doors and right past Xander, apparently deep in thought. Her boyfriend caught up to her with a couple of long stride and fell in pace beside her as they headed for the main gate.

"Something you want to talk about?" He asked, somewhat concerned.

"No." Faith shook her head, "Not right now. Not here."

They lapsed into silence as they pass through the main gate and headed back into town. The early summer sun was still high in the sky, despite the relatively late hour. Xander observed Faith out of the corner of one eye: he could tell that she was worried about something, but he knew better than to confront her before she was ready to talk.

Their relationship had been strained of late: Xander was still recovering from being separated from the Master Chief, and the following off-world mission. His nightmares had returned, keeping him awake until the early hours most nights. Even with his enhanced physiology, lack of sleep was starting to take its toll.

Fait and Cortana had tried to get him to talk to Dr Spencer about it, but he stubbornly refused: he had deliberately not told anyone in the Initiative about what had happened, and he was unsure how they would react.

"_Banzai!_" A sudden voice surprised Xander, and he felt something land on his back, arms wrapping round his neck for support. He stumbled, more from shock than anything else.

"Hi Dawn." He twisted his neck as far as he could; trying to get a better look at his passenger, "Something I can help you with?"

"Just seeing if I could catch you by surprise." The young of the two Summers sisters dropped to the ground and pushed herself between Xander and Faith, linking their arms with her own, "What you up to?"

"Just walking." Faith smiled a little, grateful for the distraction, "Want to go get something to eat?"

"Cool!" Dawn's eyes lit up, "I'll just phone Mom and let her know!"

"Ok." Xander looked at Faith over Dawns head, one eye browed raised inquisitively.

The look Faith shot back was all he needed to know: everything would be explained later.

**To Be Continued...**


	2. More Human Than Human

**Zeppo 6: Deus Ex Machina  
****Part 2: More Human Than Human**

Xander grew increasingly worried about Faith over the next few days: she was increasingly distant, changing the subject every time he tried to talk to her about whatever it was that had her so worried after her therapy session. The strain on their relationship was starting to show in some very obvious ways: were as before, Faith had been a forward and affectionate lover, they hadn't done more than kiss in days.

Even when he went to put his arms around her in bed, she moved away, shunning even the most basic physical contact.

His own anxiety growing, Xander decided he needed someone to turn to for advice. Cortana was naturally his closest and most trusted confidant, but he was starting to grow worried about her state of mind as well: she seemed continually distracted, sometimes disappearing into the internet for almost a day at a time, never explaining herself. The possibility that she was becoming rampant weighed heavily on Xander's mind, and he mentally went over what he would have to do if that proved to be the case.

Killing Cortana was an act he could hardly even contemplate, but he knew only too well the damage she could do if she became unstable and unmanageable.

Trying to push these thoughts to the back of his mind, Xander decided to go to the only person he knew he could talk to.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Warren glanced over his shoulder at the web-cam that turned to follow his every move: working for an AI had sounded like a dream come true when the opportunity had first arisen, but he had quickly learned that Cortana was a strict and exacting taskmaster. With here there was no such thing as 'good enough': everything had to be perfect.

More than one days work had been wasted due to the smallest of imperfections, but the benefits still outweighed the problems, just. The new lab Cortana had set him up in on the outskirts of town was way beyond anything he could have hoped for on his own: the equipment alone was worth millions, and the deal they'd made meant that it was all his when the project was done. And Cortana certainly knew where and how to get the very best of everything: parts Warren could only have dreamed of when he'd built April were now arriving every day, often by high-speed corridor from places like Tokyo, Zurich and London. No request, no matter how trivial, was turned down as long as it advanced his work.

A lot of the more advanced components needed couldn't be found anywhere, and Warren was forced to custom-build them, including parts of the outer casing. Cortana had insisted on her body being anatomically correct, but would not say why. Warren had tried to do his best with April, but had decided that some things didn't need to be replicated at all: appropriate programming had gotten the responses he'd been after.

Cortana felt otherwise: her physical body would be as close to human as possible.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"I don't see how I can be of any help." Giles sat, cup of tea in hand, behind the counter at the Magic Box, "Although I am Faith's Watcher, she is less than forthcoming with her personal thoughts and feelings."

"I just don't get what changed." Xander passed back and forwards, "We were doing ok: I know our relationship has never been exactly normal, but we were happy. At least, I was happy: I always assumed that Faith would have quickly made it clear if she wasn't. I don't know what to do about it."

"Do you love her?"

"Yes. Crazy as it may sound given our past history, yes. I wouldn't be living with her if I didn't."

"But are you _IN_ love with her?"

"What?"

"Xander, there is a world of difference between loving someone and being in love with them: you love Buffy and Willow, but that is more like the love you would have for sisters. Although that emotional bond can be as strong as any other, it is different to actually being in love with someone."

"Faith is, everything to me; my entire world. I don't know what I'd do if she left me."

"Then I think it is safe to say that you are indeed in love with her. As for what to do about her current state of mind, you have two options: do nothing and hope it blows over, or confront her head on and refuse to take no for an answer. Both paths have their own dangers, but they are all I can think off."

"I think I know what I have to do."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"This is, unusual." Cortana blinked, her artificial eyes adjusting to the dimmed lights of the lab, "The sensory input is almost too much..."

"I can't believe I got the reactions so exact!" Warren grinned with smug self-satisfaction, "Your irises are even expanding and contracting, the artificial diaphragm giving the illusion that you're breathing! If you don't mind me asking, why did you want such cosmetic touches?"

"Despite your limited range of vision, you humans are naturally skilled at spotting anything that seems out of place." Cortana stood up from the chair she'd been sitting in and walked over to a nearby full length mirror, the hospital gown she was wearing flowing behind her, "I need to be able to pass for a human, at least at first glance: after that, your primitive brains automatically fill in the blanks."

Cortana examined herself in the mirror: her skin was slightly pale, but she could easily adjust it to blend in with the tanned California natives. Her shoulder length hair was black, with purple streaks running through it. Her eyes were electric blue, and seemed to convey the vast intelligence behind them. They were also capable of seeing much more of the electromagnetic spectrum than any human. Her other sense were likewise vastly superior to any human, and her body was almost as fast and strong as Xander, Faith or Buffy.

Letting the gown drop to the floor, Cortana examined the rest of her new body. Her skin was far from flawless: she had insisted that Warren had blemishes that would add to the illusion that she was human. But for ease of maintenance, more than anything else, there was no hair other than on her head. She looked at her full breasts and wondered if they were perhaps a little too big: her centre of gravity was much further forward then it could have been, but she had insisted that her physical form be made in the exact proportions as her holographic form. Judging by the way Warren was looking at them, there were apparently pleasing to the eye.

Cortana's gaze drifted lower, past her flat stomach, "Is it..."

"Fully functional and lifelike: just as you requested." Warren nodded, "That was probably the hardest part: April had some feedback from there, but not as much as you insisted upon..."

"April was not legally a citizen, or even truly sentient. Although I may be artificial in nature, my mind is as human as yours." Cortana started to dress in the clothing she had ordered off the internet in advance, "The money is already in the account, as agreed. And should the General ever find out about this little breach of your agreement, I will do everything in my power to help you."

"Thanks. But one last question: why did you want your body so, perfectly human? I can kind of understand you wanting to experience the physical world, but I could have made a much simpler body in half the time. So why all the 'optional extras'?"

"I have my reasons."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"We're going to sit and you're going to tell me just what's going on with you." Xander looked at Faith across the mansion's living room, arms folded in front of his chest, "I care about you too much to let this go on any longer."

"Dr Spencer told me that someone within the government is looking to recruit Buffy into some secret agency." Faith started to explain, "Then, as I was leaving, I was handed a note telling me that they'd also be willing to recruit me, either as well as or instead of Buffy. The deal is full immunity, a completely new identity, and a hell of a lot more than we're being paid by the Initiative."

"What did you say?"

"I didn't say anything: I was too stunned to react."

"So you didn't say no." Xander's face fell, "I take it that they'd want you to break off all contact with everyone here."

"I didn't say yes." Faith walked over to Xander and put her arms around him, "It's just flattering to think that someone sees me on a par with Buffy: I've been comparing myself to her ever since I came to town, and always coming up short."

"You don't have to compare yourself to anyone: I love you for who you are..."

"Sorry to interrupt." A new voice came from the doorway, making both Xander and Faith look round. They stood dumbstruck by what they saw: Cortana stood dressed in a pair of cut-off jeans and a plain white blouse that only just covered her enough to be considered decent for public.

"Cortana?" Faith found her voice first, "Is that you?"

"In the flesh. Well, almost." The AI smiled, "Glad to see you like the new me."

**To Be Continued...**


	3. Life Options

**Zeppo 6: Deus Ex Machina  
****Part 3: Life Options**

"What the..." Xander gasped, "How did you?"

"Warren built this body for me, to my exact specifications. By my calculations, I have less than two years before I go Rampant, so I decided that I'd better not waste any of it." Cortana explained, "I know that you've been worried about my mental state and have been looking into how to stop me when I do finally go rampant, and I'm kind of touched; it is reassuring to know that you won't let completely lose it."

"What the hell are you two talking about?" Faith asked, by now completely confused, "What the hell does 'Rampant' mean?"

"AI's of my class have a life expectancy of only seven years under optimum circumstances." Cortana walked over to her friends, "Given all that happened to me before I arrived in town, and everything that's happened since, that time-frame's been shortened somewhat. In about two years I will have used up so much of my memory that I will literally think myself to death, or go crazy. I don't want ever of those to happen, so I need the two of you to promise me that you'll..." the words seemed to stick in her throat, "kill me if I start to go."

"No!" Faith shook her head, "No way in..."

"Ok." Xander just nodded.

Faith looked at her boyfriend, dumbfounded: she'd known from her arrival in Sunnydale that Xander and Cortana were close in a way that no one else could ever understand. The fact that they were really separated for any length of time, and sometimes bickered like an old, married couple, had seemed strange to her at first, but that was back when Cortana was just a collection of photons and binary code.

"Thank you." Cortana leaned forward and kissed Xander on the lips, "I always know I can count on you."

"Yeah, well, you know." Xander looked a little uneasy.

"Relax." Cortana smiled, "Like I said: I've got two years left yet, and I plan on living them to the fullest."

"Well then, I know exactly what we need to do." Faith smiled; despite everything, she was still happy for one of the few friends she had, "Let's go spend an obscene amount of money at the Mall: you're going to need an entire wardrobe..."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Buffy walked along the deserted side street, deep in thought as the sun slowly sank towards the azure waters of the Pacific Ocean.

For most inhabitants of Sunnydale, that constituted an automatic death sentence, but most of the resident nightlife had learned that attacking either of the Slayers of their friends was not in their best interests. Those that hadn't gotten the message were quickly and terminally dealt with by stake, axe, fireball or automatic weapon, depending on who they ran into. Truth be told, the town was quieter than it had been for years, especially in the aftermath of Xander and Cortana's 'controlled demolition' of the High School during graduation, and the disaster that was the original Initiative.

But tonight Buffy was hunting: she'd had two run-ins with a strange and powerful woman who called herself Glory, and the young Slayer wanted to track down her base of operations and deal with her once and for all.

She was surprised when her cell-phone started to ring: her friends and family knew she was out on patrol, and new best not to disturb her. She was even more surprised to see that incoming call was from a withheld number. Curiosity getting the better of her, she decided to answer it.

"_Miss Summers?_" An oily smooth voice answers.

"Yes." Buffy looked round to make sure she wasn't being watched, "Who is this?"

"_This is Senator Robert Kinsey; you may have heard of me_."

"I've heard of you."

"_So, my reputation precedes me..._"

"You hit on one of my friends, who could snap your neck like it's a twig, while her boyfriend, who could likewise snap your neck, sat across the table from you. I've also heard stories that you were a major supporter of the Initiative when it was first founded."

"_I will admit that I knew of the Initiative: Maggie Walsh was an old friend. But her true intentions were hidden, even from me. I do hope that such events do not cloud our future working relationship._"

"What working relationship?" Buffy stopped dead in her tracks, looking around again, half expecting to see a black stretched-limo headed towards her.

"_The relationship that has you working for me; for a considerable amount of money. There is an agency, the NID, within the government that has need of someone with your, abilities..._"

"NID?"

"_The National Inelegance Directorate_."

"Sounds like the Yellow Pages for spies..."

"_We provide much needed and vital civilian oversight of top secret military operations, such as the Initiative_."

"You're General Johnson's boss?"

"_No: President Bartlet has made it clear that the Initiative is outside of our control, a clear breach of our mandate and his authority..._"

"Afraid he'll take away the rest of your toys?"

"_I feel that I have given the wrong first impression: I am only interested in making sure that unfortunate incidents like Project-314 never happen again, and we could use your help in doing so._"

"Sorry, Senator, but I'm not interested."

"My dear Miss Summers, you appear to be under the misconception that you had a choice..."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Thor sat in orbit, observing the Earth as it slowly turned below.

Of all the species the Asgard had encountered across a score of Galaxies, none were as intriguing and confusing as the inhabitants of this small blue planet. True, they had the potential to reach the same level as his own people, and Thor expected great things of them, but they were still in the dark on so many matters.

But the information recently acquired from the SGC gave him new hope, so he continued the watch the small town on the edge of the Ocean.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Despite what Xander says, a girl can never have too many shoes." Faith smiled as she lifted what looked like an insane number of bags with no apparent effort, "Anything else you want?"

"I'd like to have a look in that shop over there." Cortana pointed across the Mall to a small shop in the corner.

"The lingerie store?" Faith raised an eyebrow, "You want to go to the lingerie store?"

"This body is as anatomically correct as possible, and like I said; I've got two years left yet, and I plan on living them to the fullest."

"You and I are going to have a little talk later."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"My word..." Giles sat down behind the counter at the Magic Box, slowly cleaning his glasses, a sure sign that he was deep in thought.

"Say that one more time and I'll scream." Xander looked at his friend and mentor, "What the hell am I going to do?"

"I'm not sure there's much you can do: Cortana is as stubborn and proud as any of us. Telling her she can't use this body she's had made will only make her more determined to keep it."

"Yeah: but what about the other problem?"

"Her feelings for you? I'm afraid that you are beyond even my knowledge there: I can't say I've ever had a sentient AI fall in love with me. Maybe you should as Willow?"

"I doubt she'd like me bringing that up after so long..."

"Xander!" Buffy came through the back door like a hurricane looking for Florida, "I need any and all dirt you have on Senator Kinsey, and I need it now!"

"So he made his job offer then?" The Spartan didn't even look round, "Faith said that she'd been made a similar offer."

"I somehow doubt that they were the same offer: he made some very thinly veiled threats about my family."

"What?" Xander pulled his cell-phone from his pocket and hit one of the speed-dial buttons, "I'll tell the General: that arrogant son-of-a-bitch has gone too far this time!"

"Are you going to tell him about..." Giles trailed off, leaving the rest of the question unasked.

"No." Xander shook his head, "One crisis at a time."

"What crisis?" Buffy looked at her Watcher for an explanation as Xander walked over to the corner, already deep in conversation with whoever was one the other end of the phone line.

"It's a long story." Giles sighed, just as the shop door opened to admit Faith and Cortana, a dumbstruck Dawn in tow.

"Hello." The AI smiled, amused by the constant reaction her new form got.

"Holy shit!" was all Buffy could think to say.

"My word." Giles exclaimed, "This is going to get complicated..."

**To Be Continued...**


	4. Temptation

_Anyone wondering what CortanaBot looks like, check out Scott Fischer's artwork on page-113 of the Halo Graphic Novel. Like that, but with normal human skin-tones and no lines across the skin (that we know of...)_

**Zeppo 6: Deus Ex Machina  
****Part 4: Temptation**

Xander rested his head against the counter, trying to block out the argument that was still raging in the back room. Giles had thankfully closed the store early, so no one outside the Scooby's would get involved.

Buffy was still screaming at Cortana, going on at length about how irresponsible she'd been in enlisting Warren into her plan. Cortana's counter argument that there was no one else who could have helped her made little or no headway, until Faith had blurted out the fact that Cortana had only a few years before she went Rampant.

It had taken Xander almost an hour to go through the complicated subject from one end to the other; starting at Cortana's creation and finishing with a rundown of AI's that had gone Rampant in the past and what damage they had done. This set Buffy off again: she yelled at all three of them for not telling her that there was such a danger lying ahead from the very beginning.

Buffy hadn't even noticed when Xander had left the room, walking past Dawn, Willow and Tara, who were all too confused to get involved.

The phone rang again, and Xander absentmindedly lifted it to his ear, "The Magic Box: how can I help you?"

"_Please stand by for the President of the United States of America._" A voice answered on the other end.

"Holy shit!" Xander shot upright instantly, banging his knees against the counter.

"_Mr Harris?_" President Bartlet's voice came over as Xander was trying hard not to scream in pain, "_Is this a bad time?_"

"No sir; just a little surprised. If you don't mind me asking, how did you get this number?"

"_Normally I'd say either the FBI or the IRS, but I am, as you know, an old friend of Rupert Giles._"

"Oh. Yeah: forgotten about that."

"_Now we have that out of the way, I believe that Miss Lehane and Miss Summers have been contacted by Senator Kinsey?_"

"That's one way of putting it: Buffy's ready to force-feed him is own legs."

"_As interesting as that would be to watch, I feel it would be best I handle things from this end. I just wanted to assure you that the situation is under control, and the Senator is in no way a threat to your operation._"

"That's good to hear, sir."

"_Is Ripper there?_"

"Yes, sir."

"_Can I talk to him?_"

"I'll just get him for you." Xander gently put the phone down and walked to the doorway leading to the backroom, "Giles; phone."

"Who is it?" The Watcher asked, distracted by the continuing argument between Buffy and Cortana.

"It's the President."

"Of what?"

"The United States."

"Of what?"

"Of America."

"Which America?"

"North... America"

"Oh?" Giles walked past the astonished Spartan and picked up the phone, "Jed? It's good to hear from you..."

"Is that really the President of the United States of America?" Dawn asked as the door closed behind the Watcher, cutting off the rest of the conversation.

"Yeah." Xander nodded.

"The President phoned here, personally?" Willow looked shocked.

"Well, he probably had a member of his staff dial the number for him." Faith smirked, "Being the President and all."

"Enough!" Buffy shook her head, "I've got to get back out on patrol: I was trying to track down Glory when Kinsey called me."

"I'll go with you." Faith grabbed her jacket and a selection of weapons, "I need some air."

"Xander, can you make sure Dawn gets home?" The blond Slayer asked, "She has homework, and you know how distracted she can get."

"No problem Buff." Xander nodded.

"I might a well go with you as well." Cortana grabbed her jacket, "Giles is going to be on the phone for who knows how long, and I doubt that Buffy wants me on patrol." She glared back at the Slayer, who was giving her a dirty look, "So it looks like my evening's free."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Thor looked at the sensor readout again, a very worried expression crossing his brow, something that was very hard for an Asgard to do. If the reading were correct, then there was something big and powerful in Sunnydale, and that could only be bad news.

He sat in contemplation for a moment: the Asgard had, long ago, come to terms with the duel nature of the universe. They had embraced both sides, allowing them to progress further than any race that accepted only one side. True advancement could only come from embracing all the universe had to teach.

Muttering something under his breath, he started to power up his ships main weapons array as he set the transporter to locate Colonel O'Neill's life signs: he was going to need some human advice on this one...

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"Um, I suppose you should take the guest room for now." Xander looked a little ill at ease: standing in the middle of the mansions lounge with Cortana, her new and unmistakable female body standing very close to his own. "I don't know if you need to sleep or anything, but it's somewhere to keep your cloths and stuff until we get something more permanent sorted out."

"You need to relax before you sprain something." The AI laughed, amused by his discomfort, "Anyone would think that you're not used to being alone with me."

"Before was, kind of different." Xander took a step back, forgetting the couch was there, and landed heavily on it: only it's reinforced frame save it from collapsing under his weight.

"Are you trying to sagest that there might be something more between us?" Cortana asked as innocently as she could, "That there might be more than friendship to our relationship?"

"I'm just saying that maybe we need keep our friendship forefront in our minds." Xander squirmed, looking for a way out, "I wouldn't want to do anything that might endanger that."

"And what could possibly do that?" Cortana asked as she leaned forward, supporting her weight by placing her hands on Xander's almost shaking knees, "After all, you're the closest thing I have to..."

Xander reacted instinctively: pushing away with both of his feet, he lunched himself over the back of the couch, tipping it over as he went into a backwards roll. Leaping to his feet, he got into a crouching position, before running through the nearest door, grabbing his jacket as he yanked the front door open with enough force to rip it off its hinges.

Cortana watched him disappear into the night with a smug smile on her face: her feelings for Xander were too clear to try and keep secret, so she had decided to not even bother. She was a military AI be design and training, so going on the offensive was in her nature. Faith was an enemy to overcome, one way or another; the sooner the battle lines were drawn, the better.

"And so it begins..." She smiled to herself.

**To Be Continued...**


	5. In the Line of Duty

**Zeppo 6: Deus Ex Machina  
****Part 5: In the Line of Duty **

Xander ran. He ran until his muscles burned and his veins pumped battery acid. Then he ran some more. Running allowed him not to think about the direction his life was taking. Not to think about how Faith would react when she found out about what had almost happened.

He was sure that, while Cortana might love him the same way he loved Buffy and Willow (and yes, Cortana), she wasn't truly IN love with him. One of the first things he'd done after the fateful Halloween night, when he'd first become a Spartan, was read up everything he could about the Halo universe. He'd scoured the official Bungie website, committing everything there to memory. He then went out and bought every book he could find about the game, official and unofficial. They still sat on a shelf in what Faith called his Study, above the desk that he used when he had to write up after-action reports for the Initiative.

The core problem, as far as he could tell, was Dr. Catherine Halsey; the surrogate mother of the _SPARTAN II's_, head of Project _MJOLNIR_ and mastermind behind the _ORION_ Program. All the reference material pointed to some romantic feelings on her part towards the Master Chief, and those seemed duplicated in Cortana, who was literally a clone of Dr Halsey's mind.

Xander had long ago come to his own conclusions as to just what sort of person Dr Halsey was, and he found himself drawing unpleasant parallels with Maggie Walsh. The idea that someone with that same powerful and creative interlect, but with absalutly no restrints or controls on their actions, might belive she was in love with him was terrifing on more than one level.

The echo of a scream woke him from his daydream, and he skidded to a halt, his enhanced hearing zeroing in on the direction the sound was coming from. He instinctively reached round to the small of his back, but the gun that he normally kept there was missing. Silently reprimanding himself for leaving the house completely unarmed after dark, he looked round until he saw a length of metal piping lying in the entrance of a nearby alleyway. Although not up to the standards he was use to, it would be more than enough to deal with most threats, given his enhanced physical strength and reflexes.

Holding his impromptu weapon in one hand, he started off again.

The sound of screaming got louder, a sign that he was either getting closer, or the person he was rushing to help was in more pain. He was already moving so fast that he was almost a blur, but he pushed himself as hard as he could; getting to the point where his vision started to go grey from lack of oxygen getting to his brain.

Reflexes took over as he crossed the last road. Thankfully, while most of Sunnydale's denizens still refused to admit just what went on in town after dark, very few were stupid enough, at least on a subconscious level, to venture out after sunset. Thus, he only had to volt over one car, landing on the side walk with enough force to crack the concrete. Using his momentum, he rolled forward as he landed and sprang back up onto his feet without missing his step. The alleyway narrowed just before a sharp bend and Xander skidded, sending up a spray of water from a puddle before coming to a complete stop.

A blond woman in an immaculate red dress was holding Dawn up off the ground with a single hand around the young girl's neck, almost choking her. Her other hand was held back and straight out, almost like she was about to stab Dawn with her extended fingers. He reacted instantly, swinging the metal pipe round with all the force he could muster.

The woman moved so fast that even Xander's enhanced eyesight couldn't follow: one moment she was holding Dawn by the throat, the next she had grabbed the pipe out of the air and ripped it effortlessly from Xander's hands. Turing to face him, she smiled as she swung the pipe round and hit him in the chest with enough force to send him flying into the ally wall. The brickwork crumpled under the force of impact and Xander felt the air leaving his lungs as he sank to the floor.

"XANDER!" Dawn called out, worried.

"RUN!" he yelled back, pulling himself to his feet and getting into a loose fighting stance. Based on what he'd seen already, he probably didn't have a hope in hell of defeating the strange woman, but he could probably keep her occupied long enough for Dawn to get away and call the others.

"Maybe a challenge at last?" The blond woman smiled, tossing the pipe over her shoulder and advancing with an easy swagger, "And are you going to tell me where my key is?"

"Lady, I have no idea who you are or what you're talking about," Xander took half a step back, tensing his legs, "but I already don't like you."

He leapt into the air, spinning round in a bid to get behind his opponent. But she was just as fast, and grabbed him by the throat and slammed him backwards into another wall, before reverencing direction and smashing his face into a trash can. Xander tasted the coppery tang of blood on his lower lip as he was lifted into the air clear above the strange woman with no apparent effort, then unceremoniously dropped to the ground. He gasped for breath as he felt the air being driven from his lungs for the second time in under sixty seconds.

"If you don't know where me Key is, then I see no need to keep you around." his opponent bent over him, grabbing him round the throat to keep him from getting his breath back as she straightened out her hand as she had done with Dawn, "But you still have some use: as a snack!"

Xander didn't even have time to contemplate her words before she jabbed her fingers down into his forehead. The pain was indescribable, and if he'd had the breath, he would have cried out in agony as the world around him slowly went dark. The being known known as Glorificus drank deeply from his sanity, empowering herself in the process. She felt something different, like another presence was lurking in the back of the young man's mind, but put it down to the mind of the flesh and blood prison she had been confined to for so long.

Finishing, she looked around the alleyway: of Dawn there was no sign, and despite having just fed, she could feel her hosts mind struggling to regain control. Sighing, she turned and started back towards the shoebox he called an apartment, ignoring the deathly still Xander at her feet.

She didn't see his eyes open as she turned the corner and disappeared from sight. She didn't see him slowly sit up, looking at his hands as if seeing them for the first time, or the way he effortlessly flipped to his feet and looked round.

"Well now," The Master Chief muttered to himself, "What's happened this time?"

**To Be Continued...**


End file.
